Category Archives: Transport

Citytrain reliability should be an election issue

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Gene Tunny

This may be a case of kicking a dead dog, but the Queensland Government needs to explain why Citytrain has become so unreliable, as evidenced by this statement on the Translink website this morning: Train services have resumed after a … Continue reading →

Posted in Queensland Rail, Transport | 1 Comment

Has Brisbane City Council been skimping on maintenance?

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Following today’s report on the crumbling Story Bridge, I’m worried that Brisbane City Council may not have proper plans for managing its assets and undertaking regular maintenance. I found this fact unsettling: It is the fifth large piece of Brisbane … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Infrastructure, Transport | Leave a comment

Too early to assess Qantas dispute impacts

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Gene Tunny

The Qantas dispute should have minimal impacts on the Queensland economy so long as it is resolved quickly and we don’t have another grounding of the fleet. But, as Saturday’s bold move by Qantas showed, the situation is highly unpredictable. … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeconomy, Tourism, Transport | Leave a comment

Carbon tax petrol exemption requires rethink

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Gene Tunny

As the owner of a V8 Jag with pretty ordinary fuel economy, I’m personally happy that petrol is exempt from the carbon tax, but, as an economist, I can see that it’s bad policy and potentially inequitable. The carbon tax … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, Transport | 1 Comment

QR will need to upgrade Central Station

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Anyone commuting into Brisbane CBD by train can attest to the crowded platforms and the long queues to get on to the escalators during peak times at Central Station, which is simply not large enough to cope with commuter numbers … Continue reading →

Posted in Transport | Leave a comment

Where do containers landing at Port of Brisbane go?

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Gene Tunny

The answer is in a great new data set from the ABS, Experimental Statistics on International Shipping Container Movements:

Posted in Brisbane, Transport | Leave a comment

Drunk walking increase suggests need for taxi industry reform

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Gene Tunny

This story in today’s Brisbane Times on the staggering rise in drunken accidents reminded me of the US finding in Levitt and Dubner’s SuperFreakonomics that: Doing the math, you find that, on a per-mile basis, a drunk walker is eight … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Transport | Leave a comment

Economic Potential of Senior Australians

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Yesterday the Advisory Panel on the Economic Potential of Senior Australians delivered its first report to Deputy PM-Treasurer Wayne Swan. While I think the Panel is unlikely to yield much of substance – i.e. beyond feel-good recommendations such as governments … Continue reading →

Posted in Population, Transport | Leave a comment

High speed rail to cost $100 billion (meaning proposal is DOA)

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Gene Tunny

At a cost of $30-40 billion, the National Broadband Network (NBN) appears cheap compared with the latest high speed rail proposal (High-speed eastern rail link to cost $100 billion): A FEDERAL government report into high-speed rail along Australia’s eastern seaboard … Continue reading →

Posted in Transport | Leave a comment

Families, tradies and small businesses can keep on polluting

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Excluding petrol from the carbon tax is good news for people who drive a lot, but means we will all have to pay even higher electricity prices. The Australian reports: “Families, tradies, small business people do not have to worry about a … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, Tax, Transport | Leave a comment